Mahalla usually prove a tough nut to crack at their own venue in the industrial Nile Delta city that bears the same name and they will have an extra motivation when they host Ahly.

Only two points separate both sides in what can be billed as an early top-of-the-table clash.

Ahly kicked off their campaign with four straight wins while Mahalla claimed three victories and drew only once in their opening game against Arab Contractors.

Nicknamed The Peasants, Mahalla will be eager to claim a famous win or at least play out a draw with their illustrious opponents, whose recent performances have been shaky.

Ahly needed a shootout to defeat Contractors in an Egypt Cup quarter-final game before scraping an unconvincing 2-1 win over Talae El-Geish in the league last week.

"I can't say that we were affected by the last international break; however, what really affects us is the number of injured players we have in the team," Ahly coach Marcel Koller said following the El-Geish clash.

Mahalla's board moved quickly to resolve a problem for manager Nikodimos Papavasiliou ahead of the game, which could have seen him depart.

The Cypriot coach was reportedly on the verge of filling Masry's vacant managerial seat after falling out with Mahalla's board over payment issues.

Ahly will miss in-form winger Taher Mohamed Taher after he injured his knee during the win over El-Geish.

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)